Work supporting or feeding device



y 1949 A. N. HOFFMAN 2,476,094

WORK SUPPORTING OR FEEDING DEVICE Filed June 11, 1947 INVENTOR ALBERT N. HOFFMAN N AT TORNEYS Patented July 12, 1949 WORK SUPPORTING OR FEEDING DEVICE Albert N. Hofimann, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 11, 1947, Serial No. 753,913

10 Claims.

This invention relates to work supporting or feeding devices, such as are used for supporting a stack of towels in position to be fed manually to a folding machine or other apparatus.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved work support of very simple form, capable of attachment either to new machines or to machines already in use, which will accommodate towels or other articles of any size or shape, which presents to view that edge of the article which is fed first to the machine. which places that edge very close to the feeding belts or apron, which does not require the towels or other articles to be draped symmetrically or in balanced position across a bar, and which is adjustable to present either a smooth surface or a rough surface to the bottom of the stack, thus both facilitating adjustment of the stack to the support and preventing movement of the stack when it is laid in place.

Further objects of the invention in part are obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, showing the device attached to a folding machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view, in the direction of the arrows 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section view enlarged, on the line 4-4, Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing another position of the retaining pads; and

6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, Showing one end of the apron bar and bracket.

In Fig. 1, I0 represents more or less diagrammatically any machine with which the invention may be used, such as a, machine for folding towels, pillow slips or the like, to the folding mechanism of which (not shown) the towels are led by belts a traveling apron indicated at IS. The oper ator lays or arranges the towels on the apron, one by one, straightening them out as she does 0. To assist her it is usual to hang or drape stack of towels on a simple bar supported at he feed end of the ironin machine, but towels o0 draped must hang evenly on both sides or they fall off. Also their feed ends are concealed and d fficult to find and feed.

According to my invention, the supporting device on which the articles are laid holds them with their feed ends clearly in view and close to the feeding apron, without chance of their falling away.

The supporting device shown includes two like arms l2, made of metal straps and provided with slots l3 through which securing screws I30, may be threaded into the folding machine frame for attaching the support to the machine in the most convenient position. To the outer ends of these arms, which are turned up, I secure two end plates I4 lying in parallel planes and cross-connected by two rods l5 and a sheet metal housing it, the latter having two holes or slots H in the convex smooth surface which it presents upwardly and toward the folding machine.

In the end plates 14 and arms l2 are journalled two eccentric trunnions l8, indicated by the dotted lines in Figs. 4 and 5, on the ends of a shaft i9 provided at one end with an operating handle 2% by means of which it may be rotated. Shaft i9 is of larger diameter than its end trunnions I8, and it turns within round openings in two blocks or plates 2|, each having two holes 22 through which extend the frame rods it. On the blocks 2| are secured card cloth members 23, two on each block, the wires 24 on such members having their bent ends extending upwardly or toward the operator. Collars 25 attached to shaft l9 prevent movement of the blocks end- Wise upon the shaft, while rods !5 compel the blocks, when they are adjusted, to always maintain parallel relation with the exposed face of the housing.

Along one edge of the housing I secure one edge of a flexible apron 26 by a fastening strip 26a. The other edge of the apron is wound upon a bar 21 the ends of which are mounted in brackets 28 fastened to the folding machine frame. This apron is extra long, providing excess material which hangs down and forms a bag to support the towels, as shown in Fig. 1. The depth of the bag may be varied, for towels of different length by winding the free end excess upon bar 21. Unwinding is prevented by making the bar square and correspondingly shaping the brackets 28. A pin 29 at each end of the bar prevents its endwise escape.

By grasping the knobbed handle 26 and turning it to its down position, shown in Fig. 5, the card cloth elements are withdrawn from the slots 5'. through which they normally project and thus offer no resistance to adjustment of a stack of towels over the smooth face of the housing to their correct feeding position, shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1. Then the handle is turned up to its normal position, Fig. 4. By reason of the eccentricity in shaft [9, this operation advances the card cloth elements to a position where they extend through slots l1 and engage the lowermost The apron or: bagfls of course; supportssthe:

lower portions of the towels, and naturally is ad- J'usted according to their length. it should also be noted that the card cloth elements are so arranged thatias'L-tHeySrisevthey' present their bent back faces intocontact. with -r; om article of the stackithu's' avoiding; catching or tearing the materiaYwliileth-e blo'c lis' are advanced to operating position.

What I claim is:

l. A Work support for holding articles to'befed to an operating machine, comprising a frame adapted for mounting atthe feed end of the machine, a housing present'in-ga smooth convex surface sloping downwardly towardjthe'machine and" provided with an" opening, and"a-' friction device mounted inthe housingand projecting through said opening.

2'. A work support for holding articles tobe. fed" to an operating machine;v comprising a frame adapted for mounting at't'he'feedendof'the'ma chine, a housingp'resenting asm'ooth convex surface sloping downwardly toward" the machine and providedwith an" opening; and a" friction device" m'ounted'in the housing andmovablethrough said openingto' either presentittoarticles to be fed or to withdrawit to'a' retracted position within the housing.

3'. A work support for holding articles; to be fedto' an'operating machine, comprisin'gLa frame adapted for mounting: at. thefe'ed end of the machine, a housingpresentin'gia smooth convex surface sloping downwardly toward the' machine and provided with an opening, a friction device mounted in the housing and' movable through saidopening to either present it to articles to be fed or to' w'ithdrawitto'a retracted'positionw'ithin' the housing, and a manually: operatable' handle for said device.

4. A work supportfor'holdingarticlesto be fed to an operating machine, comprising" a frame adapted for mounting at the feed end'of the ma-- chine; a housing presenting a'srno'othconvex'surface slopingdownwardly t'owardthemachine and providedwith an opening; and a card cloth retainer movablethrough' said opening.

5. A work support for holding" articles to be recto an operating-machine, comprising a; frame adapted for mounting at the free'end'of' themachine, a housing'presentirlg'ai smoothconvex'sur face sloping downwardly toward the machine and provided with an opening; a friction device 4 mounted in the housing and projecting through said opening, and a flexible apron depending from said housing and adapted for supporting the lower ends of articles lying upon the housing.

6. A work support for holding articles to be fed to an operating machine, comprising a frame adaptedfor. mountin at theifree endiof the machine; ai-housing presentinga-zismooth convex surface sloping downwardly towardth'e machine and provided with an opening, a card cloth retainer movable through said opening, and a flexible aprondep'endingi from said housin and adapted for supporting the lower ends of articles lying upon. the housing.

'7. A. work support for holding articles to be fed to an operating machine, comprising a frame adapted" for mounting at the free end of the machine, a housing presenting a smooth convex surface sloping downwardly toward the machine and provided with an opening, a friction device mountedin the housing and projecting through.

said opening, and 'a' flexible apron depending from apron being provided with means for adjusting its eife'ctivelength.

8. A work support for holding articles. to be fed to an operatingmachine, comprising a frame adapted for mounting at the-free end of the machine, a housing presenting a smooth convex surface slopin downwardly toward the machine and provided with an opening, a card cloth retainer movable through said"opening', and'a flex.- ible apron depending-from said housing and ad'apt'edfor supporting the'lower ends of articles movable through said-opening; and an operating shaft mountedin the housing for' adjusting said retainer.

10. A work support for holding articles to be fed to an operating machine; comprisinga frame adaptedfor mounting at the feed'end of the machine, a housing presenting a smooth=convex surface sloping downwardly toward the machine and provided with an opening, a card cloth retainermovablethrough-saidopening, and an operating shaft mount'edimthe housing for adjusting said" retainer, said shaft being rotatable and eccentri'cally mounted' in the housing.

ALBERT N. HOFFMANN.

No references cited.-

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,476,094 July 12, 1949 ALBERT N. HOFFMANN It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 3, line 56, and column 4, lines 7, l7, and 29, for the Word free read feed and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 31st day of January, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Oommz'uioner of Patgntq, 

